This invention relates to a radio communication apparatus for use in combination with a test transmitter for testing the radio communication apparatus in order to measure a receiver sensitivity of the radio communication apparatus. This invention relates also to the test transmitter. The radio communication apparatus may be a radio paging receiver, a transceiver, or the like although description will be mainly directed to the radio paging receiver.
A radio paging receiver of the type described, is for receiving a radio communication signal which carries a communication digital data signal. The radio paging receiver generally comprises a radio digital data recovering section for recovering the communication digital data signal from the radio communication signal. Connected to the radio digital data recovering section, a data processing section processes the communication digital data signal into a processed data signal. Connected to the data processing section, an announcing section carries out an announcing operation of producing an announcement to an attendant to the radio paging receiver in response to the processed data signal.
A test transmitter of the type described, generally comprises a test signal generator for generating a test digital data signal. Connected to the test signal generator, a radio test signal transmitting section transmits the radio test signal which carries the test digital data signal.
On using the test transmitter in testing the radio paging receiver so as to measure a receiver sensitivity of the radio paging receiver in relation to the communication digital data signal, the test digital data signal is made to represent an identification number specific to the radio paging receiver.
When the radio test signal has a high electric field strength, the radio paging receiver can correctly receive the test digital data signal with the test digital data signal subjected to no bit error. In this case, the radio digital data recovering section correctly recovers the test digital data signal from the radio test signal in the radio paging receiver. The data processing section processes the test digital data signal into the processed data signal. The announcing section duly carries out the announcing operation.
When the radio test signal has a low electric field strength, the radio paging receiver may receive the test digital data signal with the test digital data signal subjected to bit errors. Inasmuch as the radio paging receiver can not correctly receive the test digital data signal in this case, the data processing section does not produce the processed data signal. The announcing section does not carry out the announcing operation.
Conventionally, the receiver sensitivity of the radio paging receiver is defined as a lowest electric field strength in which the radio paging receiver can carry out the announcing operation. Inasmuch as the receiver sensitivity (that is, the lowest electric field strength of the radio test signal) is determined by judging whether or not the radio paging receiver carries out the announcing operation, it is necessary to make the test signal generator of the test transmitter generate the test digital data signal which represents the identification number specific to the radio paging receiver. When a different radio paging receiver is tested, it is necessary to make the test signal generator generate the test digital data signal which represents a different identification number specific to the different radio paging receiver. This results in an increase in labor and time of measurement of the receiver sensitivity in proportion to an increase in the number of the radio paging receivers.
Furthermore, it is difficult to quantitatively know the number of either correct bits or erroneous bits in the test digital data signal carried by the radio test signal which the radio paging receiver receives when the radio test signal has a particular electric field strength between the high electric field strength and the low electric field strength.